CVE-2018-12237 in Reporter CLI
Summary
by MITRE
The Symantec Reporter CLI 10.1 prior to 10.1.5.6 and 10.2 prior to 10.2.1.8 is susceptible to an OS command injection vulnerability. An authenticated malicious administrator with Enable mode access can execute arbitrary OS commands with elevated system privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-12237 affects Symantec Reporter CLI versions 10.1 prior to 10.1.5.6 and 10.2 prior to 10.2.1.8, representing a critical operating system command injection flaw that exposes systems to severe security risks. This vulnerability resides within the command line interface component of Symantec's security reporting solution, which is designed to provide administrative control over security data collection and analysis processes. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into system commands, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary operating system commands through legitimate administrative interfaces. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access with enable mode privileges, meaning that an attacker who has already gained administrative credentials can leverage this flaw to execute commands with elevated system privileges, effectively bypassing standard security controls.
The technical implementation of this command injection vulnerability stems from improper input validation and sanitization within the Symantec Reporter CLI's processing pipeline. When administrators interact with the system through the command line interface, certain parameters are directly passed to underlying operating system commands without adequate filtering or encoding. This design flaw aligns with CWE-77, which specifically addresses command injection vulnerabilities where user-supplied data is incorporated into system commands without proper validation. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway allows an authenticated malicious administrator to craft input that gets interpreted by the operating system rather than being treated as data, enabling full command execution capabilities. The elevated privileges granted through enable mode access mean that the injected commands run with the highest system permissions, potentially allowing attackers to modify system configurations, access sensitive data, install malware, or completely compromise the affected system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate system compromise to encompass broader organizational security implications. Organizations relying on Symantec Reporter CLI for security monitoring and compliance reporting face significant risks when this vulnerability is exploited, as it provides attackers with a direct path to execute arbitrary code with administrative privileges. The attack surface is particularly dangerous because it targets administrative interfaces that are essential for system management, making it difficult for organizations to detect unauthorized access attempts without comprehensive monitoring. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version streams (10.1 and 10.2) indicates a widespread exposure across Symantec's product line, potentially affecting numerous enterprise environments that depend on the platform for security operations. This flaw can enable attackers to establish persistent access, escalate privileges further, or use the compromised system as a launch point for additional attacks within the network infrastructure, as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches for Symantec Reporter CLI versions 10.1.5.6 and 10.2.1.8, which address the input validation issues that enable this command injection. System administrators should also consider implementing additional controls such as network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, enforcing the principle of least privilege by restricting enable mode access to only essential personnel, and deploying comprehensive monitoring solutions to detect suspicious command execution patterns. The vulnerability's classification as a command injection flaw also necessitates enhanced input validation practices throughout the system architecture, particularly in areas where user-supplied data is processed through system interfaces. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software and ensure that patch management processes are robust enough to prevent similar issues in other security tools. Additionally, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access and regular security audits can help reduce the risk of unauthorized access to enable mode privileges, which are essential for exploiting this particular vulnerability according to standard security frameworks and industry best practices.